Your preference in a murder mystery? Mine? Killer and victim both despicable

[bobbieinok]

That way I don't regret the death of the victim or have any sympathy for the killer. Only if killer can be saved somehow is it ok for killer to be sympathetic.

It's obvious my preference is for the so-called cozy English house mysteries. Perry Mason books mostly fit this pattern as well. And Gardner's Bertha Cool mysteries and his lseries with the DA as detective.

IMO forget the hard-boiled mystery. I have read one or 2 Raymond Chandler mysteries and recognize the skill, but they just aren't my type.

[shenmue]

1. I like peaceful victims

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

2. I'm a fan of the Scandinavian mystery writers.

My favorite authors are Karin Fossum, Arnaldur Indriðason, Camilla Lackberg, John Ajvide Lindqvist, Henning Mankell (Wallander), Jussi Adler-Olssen (Department Q) Jo Nesbø and Jorn Lier Horst. They tend to be pretty dark, and Nesbø in particular gets a bit gory, but there's a lot of interesting psychological drama as well as the usual whodunit stuff.

[MLAA]

3. I love those as well.

I slip in a gentler mystery every so often as a break from the darkness 😳

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

5. The Scandinavian countries have low crime rates, but

if you read enough of those novels you could be convinced they are overrun with serial killers, gangsters and lunatics.

[MLAA]

7. At least we arent reading them in the Nordics in winter where the night starts around 3pm!

I had to go to Stockholm for work one February. The sun started going down around 2:30 it seemed like.

[MLAA]

4. You might enjoy a series by Rhys Bowen about a neice to the Queen of England who

solves mysteries. They are charming and witty.

[Shrike47]

9. They are set during the depression. Quite enjoyable.

[MLAA]

12. Rhys Bowen also wrote a stand alone mystery that takes place during WW2 that was also very good.

[htuttle]

6. I like the ones where the detective is a burglar

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernie_Rhodenbarr

Seriously, while I'm an enormous fan of Whoopi Goldberg, I'm also a big fan of Lawrence Block. Read the books. They're awesome. Witty, informative, and very clever.

[First Speaker]

8. Classic, convoluted whodunits with ingenuity and surprise endings...

...Least Suspected Persons, locked rooms, house parties, mazes, maps in the beginning of the book, amateur detectives...the whole bit. Agatha, Ellery Queen, John Dickson Carr are my favorites...

[Shrike47]

10. Cyril Hare, Michael Innis, Michael Gilbert, G.M. Malliet.

[bobbieinok]

11. Miss S9eton series (oiginal author is best). M Innis, Albert Campion, Peter Wimsey, Miss Marple

[MLAA]

13. There is a series by Cara Black that all take place in Paris neighborhoods that is good.

Donna Leon does a good series set in Venice. My favorite series is by Manuel Vázquez Montalbán set in Barcelona. The writing is so good that I put this detective series in a different category, closer to literature.

[MFM008]

14. A lot of Columbos

Were like that.....

[zanana1]

15. Mine...

I guess I have a dark side, because sometimes I hope the murderer gets away with it!

[LWolf]

16. Agatha Christie. nt

[pressbox69]

17. Mine is

innocent victim and horrid murderer. It's the reason I prefer the Democrats over the republicans. Both sides are murderers but the republicans eat their own young and brag about it on twitter.